Captured by the Cold

Cold Winter 

Has shut me inside.

Locked me away

Closed me into four walls.

Restless, uneasy, weary of four walls.

My eyes are tired of paint and windows

My ears filled to capacity

With house sounds,

Wheezing furnace, gurgling pipes.

My spirit paces like a caged wild thing.

Yearnin' for the hollers and hills of home. 

I long for the sight of ol' red dirt roads, 

'Baccer barns an' sooner dogs 

That rise up to watch as folks go by. 

My ear listens for that unmistakable mountain drawl, 

Hungry for kith and kin.

Waiting World

 

It is a silent night. 

The stars wink at the world, 

As if they share in some cosmic joke. 

The snow has become a hard crust, 

Trees wait quietly for new life. 

Occasionally there is the sound 

Of chilled wildlife 

Crunching through the snow. 

Yet in all the frosty quiet, 

The world waits again 

For Christmas.

Wild Turkey

Wild Turkey
Picks at seeds
Hidden in tall grass.
Clucks an' sings
A huntin' song.
Song of sweet grain,
Plump, crunchy bugs
An' fat little grubs.
Turkey beats a casual tune
In the dirt.
Pluckin' tunes
From root an' rock.

Copyright 11/7/2004  Stephen Hollen

Ladybug Revival

In a sidelined church
Black shutters stark
Against chalky white wood
Hundreds of ladybugs
Creep to a corner
Huddled in a mass
Of insect communion.


Copyright 11/1/2004  Stephen Hollen